A virtual shower of rice to newlywed cyclists Edie Perkins and Brett Cleaver (pictured above). Following their Aug. 14 nuptials in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire, the couple set out last weekend from Portland, Oregon for an eight-week cross-country biking honeymoon leading back to their New York City home base.

The super-fit couple shares a love of cycling and a thirst for a challenge: Edie, an executive at Scholastic, is a former marathoner and triathlete, and Brett, who was a sales representative at the Rapha Cycle Club NYC, is a Category 2 bike racer.

Photo: Sarah Burgess Gregorian

Their route, astride his-and-hers Independent Fabrication Crown Jewel bikes with panniers, follows, with a few variations, the approximately 4,250-mile TransAmerica Trail, where the scenic goodness includes Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in Wyoming, and Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

The couple’s travelogue blog kissingwithhelmets.com, featuring the stylish theme they also carried through to their wedding cake (right) and their custom bikes, is named for their first kiss – with helmets on – in front of a burrito joint in Brooklyn. Who knew a kiss would set the wheels in motion for a love match on bikes that yesterday found Edie and Brett on the Walla Walla, Washington leg of their new adventure?

Happy tailwinds and safe travels! We’ll be checking in with Edie for the inside scoop on cross-country cycling romance, after the couple clears Hoosier Pass, Colorado, with its 11,542-foot elevation. Talk about the ups and downs of a relationship.

On the road, panniers mounted on front and back racks transport the couple's belongings. Photo: Ian Rutter